For Christian giving, there are three parties to our gifts. There’s the giver, the recipient, and God, the often, overlooked party. But how does God, who owns everything, possibly benefit from our giving? We learn as early as Cain and Abel that God seeks personal pleasure in our gifts. The Hebrew text suggests that God gazed at Abel and his gift. He fixed his eyes directly on Abel, taking pleasure (showing regard, favor, respect) in the transaction. Cain’s gift did not…
Generosity is more than dispossession of assets. Giving is that — reducing the amount of “stuff” we have — but biblical giving is more than that. For the Christian, generous giving means intentionally transferring a piece of one’s wealth so others will benefit. This is an important part of Christian stewardship. One of the curious values of the faith is that we are called upon to reduce that which we steward and give it to others so they may steward…
Someday in the hallways of heaven, I believe Nebuchadnezzar and Mary will meet. The man who built Babylon and its famous hanging gardens will run into the woman spoken of across millennia as “a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph” (Luke 1:27a). One was the picture of pride; the other the embodiment of humility. Both have something to teach us. To beat pride in our giving, we’ll have to learn what Nebuchadnezzar learned and live how…
God cares about each of us. He allows us to steward financial resources for His glory and our good. He knows that as we glorify Him out of gratitude for His gifts to us, we experience true life. And He desires that we reflect His generosity through our giving. In giving, it can help to start with three questions: Why should I give? How do I give? Where should I give? Often, we tend to give in areas of personal…
Life seems preoccupied with money. We work for it, spend it, save it, dream about it, and stress over it. Nearly everyone obsesses with making just one dollar more. Aware of our dangerous fixation with the almighty dollar, Jesus taught more about money than any other topic, including faith, prayer, heaven, or hell. Nearly half of His parables relate to handling money and possessions. In one of Jesus’ most memorable parables, known as “The Rich Fool” (see Luke 12:16–21), we…
“It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35b). These simple words of Jesus provide the key to freedom and joy in our relationship with money. Though this is a well-known verse, few Christ-followers truly know, understand, and apply this truth in their everyday lives. In more than 20 years of working with givers, I have observed that ambivalence towards the words of Jesus is not due to lack of belief, rather it is because we have…
Pray. Discern. Act. Prayer is the best place to start. One of my favorite prayers to begin each day is Lord, help me see and hear where and to whom to give. It’s the first step in aiming my heart toward Him. I also find inspiration from characters like Cornelius in the Scriptures. In Acts 10, we learn that Cornelius gave generously and prayed regularly. I like the simplicity here — he was able to discern the voice of God…
If you want a snapshot of where you are in your walk with Christ, pull out your budget and walk through it with a spiritual director, your pastor, and a fellow Christian who is not part of your family — together, at the same time, in the same room. Take a few moments to think about that conversation. What would these people learn about you? For the two-thirds of people who studies show do not live on a budget, what…
Have you noticed that throughout Scripture, with God, it’s all or nothing? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Though God’s people failed to obey, God makes this promise through His prophet, “I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me” (Jeremiah 33:8). Jesus began His earthly ministry saying, “Do not think…
When you were young, you dreamed of the impact that you would have. The battles you would overcome, the triumphs to be celebrated, the inspiration you would provide. The legacy you would leave. You were fueled with the deep-down knowledge, that you (specifically you), had a part to play in the greater story. But somewhere along the way, that dream was corrupted. You felt the sting of rejection, the ache of disappointment. You saw little inspiration from those that had…
Have you done a budget? A budget is a simple tool that you used to track your income and your spending. The idea is to first understand where your money is going, and then use
How does God measure our giving?
How do we make sure that we do not honour the rich over the poor?
What does it mean to be rich toward God?
Does it matter how we earn our income?
How A Kingdom Entrepreneur Should Start Their Day
Is this the missing element from your business?
Income Inequality Isn’t Wrong from a Christian Perspective
Should Churches have a stewardship committee?
Vision : If a Church gets this right, the money follows
Organizing a Fundraising Dinner That Rocks
How do we make decisions about allocating the resources that God has entrusted to us?
